News 18:00

BULLETIN 6 November 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Action Society welcomes the court ruling in the Blue Light Mafia case
# Solidarity urges G20 to hold SA accountable on race laws
# And, multiple fires blazing across the Cape Winelands

# Action Society says today’s Randburg Regional Court ruling in the case against deputy president Paul Mashatile’s eight VIP protection officers is a key step toward accountability in law enforcement. Only one charge against the officers dubbed the Blue Light Mafia, accused of attacking motorists on the N1 highway in Johannesburg in July 2023, was dropped. The organisation’s Juanita du Preez calls for the officers to be suspended while prosecution continues:

# The Solidarity Research Institute has called on G20 member states to address South Africa’s racial policies during the upcoming summit this month. Representatives delivered a memorandum to G20 embassies in Pretoria, urging countries to question South Africa’s compliance with international anti-discrimination conventions. Solidarity spokesperson Connie Mulder says more than 140 race-based laws undermine equality and economic cooperation, calling them non-tariff barriers that discourage international investment:

# The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s Fire Services has confirmed that crews have responded to multiple fires across the District. Eleven fire vehicles and crews from municipal stations are on scene, with support from the Drakenstein Municipality. Spokesperson Jo-Anne Otto says firefighters report extremely difficult conditions, and operations are expected to continue throughout the night:

# Around 37-thousand US soldiers stationed in Germany may not receive their November pay and have been given food bank advice. This comes amidst the US government shutdown that has now entered a record 37th day. The US Army also published guidance on its website directing soldiers in Germany to emergency social benefits, loans, and food sharing organisations. Transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, earlier announced a 10-percent cut in flights at 40 major US airports from tomorrow. Airlines say at least 3.2-million travellers have already been impacted.

# Rugby: Saturday night’s Test between the Springboks and France in Paris will see milestones for captain Siya Kolisi and head coach Rassie Erasmus. Kolisi will lead South Africa in his 100th Test, becoming the ninth South African centurion, while Erasmus will be in control for the 50th time. The squad sees six changes to the one that beat Japan 61-7 last weekend. Fullback Damian Willemse returns from injury. Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse will be the wingers, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach the half-back pairing.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-34-cents and the euro at 20-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-812-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-9-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-44-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….